The Times in Between
by Francesca Montag
Summary: They saved lives and planets, and carried on with adventures, but their life together grew beyond that. A series of stories based on photo prompts from my livejournal. Ratings vary among the stories; 9/Rose, 10/Rose


_Okay, so...this set is going to be based on a series of photo prompts that I've saved from the then_theres_us community over at livejournal. If you want to look at the photo prompts you are welcomed to go visit my journal on there (jiji_bean)_

_This was written for my friend, e_mraldeyedauter, _which she seemed to enjoy :) I hope you all do too. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who - I don't think the Beeb would enjoy these kind of scenes in their children's show._

_Rating: M  
_

* * *

_Photo Prompt #8: Nine/Rose_

**The Beginning**

He wasn't sure what had come over him. It seemed to have started out of nowhere, even though he knew that wasn't the truth. Not at all. He'd be lying if he said he didn't know when these feelings had begun to pool at the pit of his belly. It had started with _run_ and had only grown since then.

Rose was sitting across from him on the other side of the table, drinking her tea and letting the heat emanating from it warm her hands. They had just returned from another adventure – one that took them to the depths of ice caves. He'd found the temperature rather annoying and had even gathered his jacket a bit closer to him. It was a few moments after that irritation that he'd noticed Rose's shivering. His coat was quickly whisked off and onto her.

Apparently, the cold had sunken deep in her bones – he felt guilt at the realization.

"Feelin' better?" his voice sounded husky in his ears, he coughed to clear it.

She looked up at him, her eyes hinting at her exhaustion, "Yea', tea's nice and hot."

The Doctor watched her as she lifted the mug to her lips and let the liquid drown in her mouth. An ache echoed in his hearts, the feeling in his belly grew hot. He forced himself to look down at his own mug.

"Doctor?" Her voice sounded loud in his ship. He'd been tuned into it too carefully it seemed.

Unable to process what her proximity and voice did to his body, he pushed the feelings aside and looked up. Her wide amber eyes were fixed on him and she looked concerned. He didn't trust himself with speech, so he merely raised an eyebrow at her.

Rose reached across and cupped his hand in hers – their palms meeting. The heat of her skin against his made his head spin. The heat he had been feeling began to tingle through his nerve endings.

"Are you alright?" her eyes grew worried at his silence. How could he explain what was going through his mind when he didn't really understand it himself?

He smiled halfheartedly – of course he understood it…he just didn't want to admit it. But whether he chose to or not, it wouldn't make the feelings go away. The Doctor couldn't ignore how _right _and fantastic it felt for her to touch him.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just…feel bad you practically froze back there," it was true – he had felt responsible for leading her there without first thinking about whether her human body would be able to sustain it. Still, it didn't properly describe what he was feeling at the moment.

Her grip on his hand tightened and a bright smile met her lips, "Like I said, nothin' a hot cuppa won't fix."

This time the Doctor's smile was more genuine and complete.

Rose continued smiling at him, but took back her hand in order to return the mug to the sink. He watched her as she washed it out and began on the dishes from that "morning." The absence of her touch had caused mixed feelings in him. On one hand, he'd been relieved that the magnetic force between them had been removed as it was making that warmth grow. On the other hand, he found himself missing it.

The Doctor found himself wanting more of it.

He looked at her shifting the weight from one foot to the other. Each foot was covered in thick grey socks, her legs in her pale pink sweatpants and she was wearing a black jumper that rose just a bit each time she'd return a mug or plate to a cupboard. When it did, a sliver of fair skin would tease him. Something in his chest stirred.

The neckline of the jumper would slip ever so often down her shoulder. Each time it did, she'd absentmindedly pick it up. The movement drove him crazy.

Perhaps that's why he did what he did. Something he'd been dreaming of more and more with each day and adventure.

The Doctor stood up suddenly, his chair screeching across the floor. It didn't cause Rose to turn – the noise being quite ordinary. He hesitated walking to her. She hadn't realized he was still in the room – he could turn towards the door and walk away.

Yes, he could do that…but he found that he didn't want to run anymore.

With aching slowness, more out of nervousness than prolonging the effect, he inched towards her.

He stopped right behind her, unable to close that final distance between them. Still, he could feel the heat off of her skin.

Before he realized what was happening, Rose turned around suddenly and bumped into him. She gasped loudly and placed her hand on her heart.

"You scared me!" the surprise quickly faded, however, and into a nervous chuckle, "what are you doing there!" She smacked his upper arm playfully.

The Doctor found that he couldn't explain what he was doing there. Not in words anyhow.

And that's when he kissed her.

He felt her surprise under his lips. It was a tense, chaste first kiss. In the small moment of time, he had feared that he'd come to destroy the first relationship…._friendship_ he had built since the war. The Doctor didn't want to lose Rose Tyler…not then or ever. And in that moment he was afraid that his kiss had just undone what could have possibly been the best thing that had ever happened to him. He was about to remove himself from her when he felt her hands come up and grab his collar, holding him to her. The beatings of his hearts multiplied and grew heavy against her.

Taking the cue, he deepened the kiss – his slick tongue edged open her swollen plump lips. Her tongue met his in the mingling of their heat. He found himself pressing her against the countertop, his hands settled on her hips. His grip was firm and he could feel himself dig into her skin through her sweats.

Rose edged her lips away from his, but only just. "What," quick pant, "took you so long?" Her words playfully ghosted against his lips and her eyes had grown dark with a _look _that he knew mirrored his own.

The edges of his mouth perked up, "I've no idea." And with that he removed her hands from his collar, and ignored her perplexed face. He held onto one of her hands and led her out of the kitchen and to the corridor.

They were quiet. The most quiet they had ever been, but there was no hesitancy or worry in it – only acceptance and exaltation.

Once they had reached his room, he turned the knob with his free hand and led her inside. Letting go of her long enough to close the door and shrug off his jacket, she looked around in earnest. Rose had never been in his room until then.

She turned to look at him, the look he'd seen earlier growing steadily.

The Doctor closed the distance quickly, his mouth coming down on hers in haste. He yearned to touch every inch of her in every way. He barely even knew where to start.

As if reading his mind, he felt Rose's nimble fingers touch the hem of his jumper, tugging it over his torso. He let go of her long enough for her to tug the garment off of him. He looked at her as she ran her eyes slowly along his lean upper body. A small part of him felt odd at being looked at so closely, but a larger part of him felt that she was wearing way too much clothing.

He reached for the hem of her jumper and was about to pull it over and off of her, but decided that he wanted to do something first.

The Doctor held onto her arms as he got closer to her and let his mouth linger on her naked shoulder. His tongue trailed endless symbols on her skin there and he felt her tremble under his touch. He smiled slightly as he straightened himself and proceeded to yank the jumper off of her.

It was his turn to take her in – her fair skin almost glowing, it was so radiant. She had worn nothing underneath her top and was therefore naked from the waist up for him to indulge his eyes in. He saw her skin grow flushed on her chest, her breathing growing more rapid. In her eyes he expected to see fear or worry – but he found none. She was simply waiting for him.

Unable to control himself, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into him – their skin meeting and growing fiery at the touch. Rose pushed herself up as best as she could, meeting her lips with his. Their tongues and lips mingled in another passionate kiss. The kisses grew from intense to gentle feather-like touches, but not once did their lips not meet. Her hands trailed up his arms to the back of his neck, making him shudder under her skin. His arms encircled her, his hands meeting at the small of her back, teasingly above her bottom. The Doctor tightened his hug against her, raising her slightly and carrying her to the bed. He lowered her and raised her a bit on the bed, the band of her sweats lowering on her hips. The edge of her black underwear peaked through. It made his blood boil anew.

_All in due time_, he kept reminding himself.

Again, he felt her quick fingers trail from his neck to his back and down to his stomach until they found the clasp of his belt buckle.

Ignoring the pulsating heat in his groin, he momentarily laid his weight on her, so as not to stop kissing her, and grabbed her hands with his – placing them sternly, but gently, above her head.

Rose stopped the kiss and looked at him in confusion.

"Is this it?"

The look in her eyes turned to one of questioning and worry. He smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

The Doctor knew that the physical was something that everyone, not just humans, often delved into deeply but in a rush. Since the moment he'd met this little extraordinary human shop girl from London, he'd wanted her by his side. As the moments with her grew, he knew that holding her hand had only been the beginning and that soon enough he'd want her more than anything. To a Time Lord with the universe and time at his feet, this was quite a realization. And still – it didn't stop him from feeling it.

In this situation, with the woman he had been dreaming about in the few hours he closed his eyes each week and in the dreams that haunted his waking hours under his body, he wanted to enjoy and record every instant in his memory. Even if he knew he couldn't keep her forever – he wanted to know that he still could in his own way. His body might have been aching…_screaming_….for him to rush and feel himself completely within her – but his mind…his _hearts_ wanted something different…for now.

So, he smiled and kissed her sweetly from her flushed chest and trailed kisses up her neck, along her jaw line to her lips where he deepened it. His arms wouldn't let her arms from up above her head. Instead, they gripped her harder…keeping her just _there_.

In his kiss, he was sure she could feel his every want and desire and he felt her worry melt to the touches. He separated himself just barely from her to let her know what he should have known all along.

"Oh love, this is just the beginning."

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed :)_


End file.
